Bringing relief to the passengers from Kollam, Railways will launch four new services shortly, says N.K. Premachandran, MP.
The long-standing demand to convert Velankanni special train service into a regular service has been given the nod by Railway Board and a new Kollam-Tirupati service will also be started.
“Passengers can now book tickets in advance and travel at a lower cost in the Velankanni train. This service will be very convenient for pilgrims travelling to Velankanni via Kollam-Shengottai route. The new train operating between Kollam and Tirupati is also advantageous to the commuters from Kollam,” said the MP at a press meet here on Saturday.
Since the number of people travelling from Kollam to Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu is very high, Palaruvi Express operating between Palakkad and Tirunelveli has been extended to Thoothukudi. The new service is expected to benefit students, merchants and labourers commuting between the two places. “Guruvayur and Madurai are two prominent pilgrimage centres in South India. The Railway Board accepted my proposal to start the Guruvayur-Madurai service and to combine the existing trains for the benefit of the passengers and Railways. Three services including Guruvayur-Punalur, Kollam-Shengottai, and Shengottai-Madurai, were combined for Guruvayur-Madurai train service. The approval for the service was obtained by retaining all the stoppages so that the passengers will not face any inconvenience,” said Mr. Premachandran.
Several stoppages in Kollam Lok Sabha constituency were eliminated during the pandemic and the MP said they would be restored in a phased manner.
“In order to improve rail traffic through Kollam-Shengottai route, demands have been made to increase the number of coaches to at least 18 and replace the current coaches with LHB coaches that can accommodate more passengers. Steps are also being taken to start the service of vistadome coaches and promote tourism,” he said.
